Mission Application Photo

Sunday, October 16, 2016

Rolling along in October

For our Monday night Senior Missionary Family Home Evening, we had two guest missionaries, the Findlays, from British Columbia. (They actually live in the same area in Canada as our neighbors, Meg and Wayne Jones!) They have spent the last twenty years serving a variety of church missions, including in Russia and Fiji. Personally, they have traveled to 94 countries! Currently they spend several weeks a year coming to Africa to distribute wheelchairs and supervising immunization programs.He is a retired Air Force pilot and said they could have never imagined what would happen in their retirement years!

One of the Findlay's power point slides was about a band that donated their lunch money to hire a truck and play music to encourage residents to come out and hear about the immunization program.

We attended the Christiansborg Zone Training this week at the Ghana Temple Square complex. Elder Gamil and Elder Ferrell demonstrated techniques to greet others....look people in the eye, give a firm handshake and start teaching a gospel principle!

Elder Burns, in the foreground, is a Zone Leader and responsible, along with his companion, for training the missionaries in their area.

Our mission office internet is connected to the Area Office internet a few blocks away. There were some major problems this entire week and these gentleman helped get the problem solved. Brother Henderson, on the right, was in our office most of the week. He has been a computer programmer and worked as a computer salesperson. He also installed Microsoft 10 on our computers. Stan says his computer is running very well now.

On the mission home property is a pawpaw tree, somewhat like a papaya.

Nancy and Sister Heid took pictures of the Mission Office and Mission Home this week. Salt Lake church headquarters wanted current pictures to help orient the incoming mission president and his wife. They have likely been called to their position, but their assignment will probably not be announced until the first of the year. They will arrive about July 1, shortly before we are released from our mission.

On Fridays we usually have Office Council with the office elders, Assistants to the President, senior couples, our facility manager, and President and Sister Heid. We coordinate items on the calendar, apartment issues and discuss mission business. Elder Osei-Brobbey, the Ghanaian, by the door, explained how he has changed for the better on his mission. He will be released next Monday from his mission and return to Kumasi, Ghana. He is applying to the UK Army and get training to be a mechanic.Elder Osei-Brobbey also shared a touching story that he has always wanted to serve a mission. When he was 8 years old, he had a "dream" about doing missionary work and meeting a white couple. Ten plus years later, when Elder Osei-Brobbey was at the Ghana Missionary Training Center, President and Sister Heid came to meet the new missionaries who were coming to the Ghana Accra Mission. Elder Osei-Brobbey immediately recognized them from his dream.

Elder Ackley and Elder Sam accompanied their investigator, Cecilia, to the mission office where she had a baptism interview with President Heid.

Sunday, we attended church in in an area of the city called Jamestown. This is the chapel. If you look carefully you will see the sign behind the "walk" signal. This area is in the heart of the city but is economically challenged. The chapel is on the second floor. We don't know exactly what is happening on the 3rd floor. Because of it's location, the noise from the street was very distracting. Today they had to endure a major political rally with the accompanying chants and loud music. But the Saints just proceed and don't let the annoyance bother them. There were about 150 in attendance at the Jamestown Ward.